Estonian becomes European figure skating champion for the first time
20-year-old Niina Petrõkina delivered a showstopping program in the women's free skate finals at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in her hometown of Tallinn on Friday, clinching the gold and making history as the first Estonian to win the European title.
The second-to-last skater on the ice in the women's free skate finals on Friday night, Petrõkina successfully executed a double axle and a triple toe loop at the start of her free skate program, followed by a triple Lutz and a triple loop.
She then unexpectedly fell, but quickly recovered to land a flawless triple flip, followed by two more clean combinations, before finishing with a clean double axel. In all, the Estonian figure skater executed seven triple jumps.
An emotional Petrõkina fell to her knees on the ice at the end of her program, knowing she had secured a championship medal.
